The International Olympic Committee has banned Iraq from competing in China next month. However, as usual, there are two completely different versions of the story and I still don't fully understand what happened. Adding to the confusion is the fact that many major media outlets are not reporting on these events. CNN (with the most […]
There is a reason why economics is known as the “dismal science.” For all of the accoutrements of precision and exactitude, the reality is that much of economics is at least as much alchemy as science, and the supposed “laws” of economics are more like guidelines than immutable realities. It is thus not surprising that […]
Karin Esposito, the FPA's blogger on Religion and Politics and Project Manager for the Tajikistan Dialogue Project in Dushanbe, recently wrote about a new draft law ‘Freedom of Religious Practices and Religious Organizations’ being debated by the Kyrg government. Karin, with the help of an article by Erica Marat, discusses the reasons and possible ramifications […]
While almost 2,200 families fled their homes in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen because of the heavy fighting, Mika [the Lebanese born British singer] had a sold out concert in Martyr's Square on Sunday. Mika left and Tripoli is calm, so all's well when it ends well. Lebanon is a country of contradictions. No doubt […]
Today, the Mayor of Mexico City and the Local Assembly have organized an unofficial referendum on oil reform. The referendum opens a new chapter on the impact of democracy on strategic public policy. Indeed, the referendum‚ a democratic institution‚ has the potential to stop or dramatically alter the progress made during the open debate‚ another […]
NOW Lebanon: Following the statements made by the Lebanese president and defense minister on the security setback in the Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods of Tripoli, which left nine dead, including one child, and at least 50 others wounded, the army has expanded its deployment and set up temporary centers in adjacent neighborhoods to […]
Deputy Speaker Farid Makari on Friday told NOW Lebanon that the situation in North Lebanon [the clashes started again in Bab al Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen in spite of the ceasefire agreement] had gone "back to ground zero,” and that without a solution to Hizballah's arms, there would be no elections in 2009. Information Minister […]
Tony King, a professor at the University of the West of England, uses this Guardian article on the currency crisis as a springboard to what strikes me as some reasonable commentary at H-SAfrica: . . . The government is running out of paper for banknotes, and is facing the prospect of losing the software licence […]
Johannes F. Linn, a former World Bank vice president for Europe and Central Asia and current Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, recently made an extended visit to the region and has written a series of assessments on key issues facing the region. Today, I would like to discuss two pieces in this series in […]
[DISCLAIMER: We realise that this story has been around for a while since it was published in last week's Moscow Times, but decided to write about it only today in an hommage to Luke Harding. Also, never believe anything until it appears on Gawker.] As Obama finished his speech in Berlin, one spectator said the […]
Iranian Vice President Reza Aghazadeh said Thursday that negotiations with world powers on Tehran's nuclear program could solve problems in Lebanon and Iraq. “If the negotiations get under way, then solutions could be found for many problems like Iraq, Lebanon or fuel prices,” said Aghazadeh, who also heads Iran's Atomic Energy Organization. Come again? I […]
Many times when writing on this blog I feel that the worst of Mexico comes out. For that reason, today's post reveals some of the best Mexico has to offer in a one of the provinces stricken by the drug war – Michoacan. This New York Times article exposes an interesting trip to Michoacan, leaving […]
“Russia: Hmmm. Lemme think. It's cold, with nuclear missiles, and… BEARS! Right? Russian BEARS! Bears in…Siberia! That's in Russia too, right? and it's cold! Cold and full of Russian bears! Perfect!” (-NOT Luke Harding's last words, morning of July 24) I never thought I’d say it, but as I glanced at the menacing headline: “Bears […]
A key rule in understanding politics is to take with a grain of salt when one party tries to define, contextualize, predict, or provide historical context for another. Another key rule is to make sure that other parties are not in a position to define yours. I thought of (read: made up) these iron-clad rules […]
I’m a couple days late, actually with the saturated media coverage it seems much longer, but Presidential candidate Barack Obama visited Afghanistan, meeting with US troops and the Afghan leadership. Reports stated that he made the trip to highlight the nation as the main front as the war on terror, more so than Iraq. I […]